Automatic mail-bag catching and delivering apparatus.



B K. & A. J. KAUFFMAN AUTOMATIC MAIL BAG GATUHINGAND DELIVERINGAPPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPTA), 1908. r I a 920,580,; Patented May 1909.

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B. K. & 'A. J. KAUFFMAN. 7 AUTOMATIC MAIL BAG GATGHING AND DELIVERINGAPPARATUS.

'APPLICATION I LLE D SEPT.9| 1908.

Patented May 4, 1909..

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UNITED STATES PAEFENT @FFICE.

BENJAMIN K. KAUFFMAN, OF KINZERS, AND AMOS J KAUFFMAN, OF GAP,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR-S TO SAID BENJAMIN K. KAUFFMAN.

AUTOMATIC MAIL-BAG- CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1909.

Application filed September 9, 1908. Serial No. 452,297. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN K. KAUFFMAN and AMos J. KAUFFMAN, citizensof the United States, residing at Kinzers and Gap, respectively, in thecounty of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Automatic Mail-Bag Catching and DeliveringApparatus, of which the following is a'specilication, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawing.

Our invention relates to a mail pouch delivering and catching apparatusof such a class and in a manner as hereinafter set forth forautomatically delivering mail matter contained in pouches or sacks frommoving postal cars and to deliver such pouch or sack at the propermoment and with suflicient force to insure its safe deposit at a.safedistance from the truck to prevent the pouch or sack from being thrownunder the wheels by the suction of the passing train.

A further object of the invention is by the same automatic means to setthe catching arm which is attached to the car in such a position that itwill catch the pouch or sack from the usual crane and deliver same with.in the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide a catching fork ofimproved design that may be readily reversed to suit the direction oftravel of the car or transferred to the opposite side of the car, andwhich will be automatically operated in connection with the deliveringapparatus so that the catching and delivering of the pouch will be doneat the proper time and in proper relation to each other, or eitheroperation may be conducted independently of the other, as mail is oftentaken on when none is delivcred or delivered when none is taken on.

With these and other objects in view our device consists 1n certainconstructions and combinations of parts that will heremafter ure 1, is aside elevation of a partial mail car, showing the delivering, catchingand operating mechanism. Fig. 2, is a cross sectional view of a portionof a car, in which the operating mechanism is shown more in detail. Fig.3, is a top plan view of the operating mechanism, showing the mode ofattaching it to the car and the cooperation with that attached to thetruck. Fig. 4, is a detail view of our improved reversible catchingfork. Fig. 5, is a cross sectional view of the catching fork on the lineX X of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, 1, indicates a trip or draft rail which issecured upon the ties outside the traction rail and in such a positionthat one of its ends is set near the traction rail and its other enddiverges therefrom.

At a suitable position upon the car truck is pivoted the trip arm 2,which extends downward in such a position that its lower end overlapsthe top of the draft rail 1, and as it engages the outer side of saiddraft rail 1, and by the movement of the car is carried along the outer.side of said rail 1, by the angle at which said rail 1, isplaced withregard to the traction rails, the trip arm 2, will have its lower endswung outward, and said trip arm 2, is furtherprovided with the rod andspringlO, to retain it in a vertical position when not in engagementwith said draft rail.

Mounted in suitable bearings secured to the car truck, midway andparallel to the traction rails, is secured the shaft 3, to the forwardend of which is rigidly secured the crank arm A, thelower end of whichis connected to the trip-lever 2, by the rod 5, and to the rear end ofsaid shaft 3, is rigidly secured the crank 6.

Secured in bearings'beneath the carv body in a direction parallel to thesides of said car is the main shaft 7, the rear end of which terminatesat a point opposite the center of the traction truck and has rigidlysecured to the end thereof, a cranks,- the end of which is attached tothe crank 6, by the rod 9, in such a manner that said maln shaft 7, willbe rocked by the action of the regard to the track, as would be the casein traveling around a sharp curve.

lVithin the car at a position preferably beneath one of the mail sortingdesks is placed a delivery box 11, having three sides and being placedin connection with the opening 12, in the side of the car, said opening12, having extending upward, openings 13.

To the inside of said car at a suitable height from the floor is mountedthe shaft 1a, which extends parallel to the floor of the car and whichpasses the delivery orifice 12, at a point near the top thereof, whilesuspended from said shaft 14:, and rigidly secured thereto, are the twokicker arms 15, of the deliverer which are made in the form of a Z withthe ends of their long legs secured to the shaft 14:, and their shortlegs joined to each other by the grating 16, which when said delivereris in a closed position said grating 16, stands in a vertical positionagainst the back of the box 11, in such a manner that the mail pouch maybe placed in the box and ejected therefrom by the action of thedeliver-er. Said deliverer being operated by a crank 17, which isrigidly secured to the end of said shaft 14:, and to which is secured arod 18, which is connected to a crank 19, which is rigidlv secured tosaid main shaft 7.

Within the doorway of the car and mounted in suitable bearings attachedto the outer side of the door jambs is the catcher fork 20, whichconsists of the bar 21, square or triangular in cross section and towhich are secured and integral therewith the bearing bars 22, uponeither of which is detachably secured the arm block 28, which is formedwith the orifice 24, and commui'iicating slot 25, to allow of its beingslipped over either of the bars 22, and the slot 25, engaging the bar21, and thus retaining said block 23, from turning, while the stop-pins26, retain said block 23, from entirely slipping over the ends of thebars 22, and to the opposite side of said block 23, is secured integraltherewith the catcher hook 27. Secured to said bar 21, and at rightangles therewith, is the crank arm 28, extending inwardly from the bar21, and having its end connected by the rod 29, to a crank 30, on theshaft '7, in such a manner that by the rock of the shaft 7, the catchfork will be extended at right angles to the car and in a position toreceive the pouch from the crane. In this manner it will be readily seenthat a mail pouch having been hung on the crane 32, and a mail pouchhaving been deposited in the delivery box, that as the trip-leverbecomes engaged by the draft rail and is swung outward and theconnecting rods and cranks are thus pulled which. will rock the shaft 7,that the catcher fork will be extended to catch the bag as it passes thecrane and at the same time the delivering apparatus will eject the mailpouch from the box which will be secured by a suitable guard 31, may besituated alongside the truck to stop the outgoing pouch.

lt may be further stated that he triplever 2-, may be mounted on a craneas shown in Fig. 2, and by the rods 10, and 33, which can be operatedfrom any suitable part of the car, said lever 2, may be lifted up sothat it will be out of engagement with the draft rail, and also by therod 34-, at tached to the end of the draft rail 1, and which may beoperated by the setting of the crane or by hand, said rail may be thrownin or out of engagement or set to operate the trip-lever.

Having thus described our invention what we cl aimas new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In an automatic mail. pouch deliveringand catching apparatus, a draft rail. secured to the road bed withoutthe traction rails and diverging therefrom, a trip-arm mounted upon thecar truck with its lower end adapted to be engaged and operated by saiddraft rail, a horiiiontal rocker shaft mounted upon said truck, acrank-arm secured to the forward end of said rocker shaft, a connectingrod joining said crank to said triparm, a rocker arm mounted to andbeneath the car body and parallel thereto, a crank secured to saidrocker arm, and a connecting rod joining said crank to a crank securedto the rear end of said rocker arm upon the truck, means for deliveringa pouch by the rocking of sand arms, and means for catching a pouch bythe action of said rocker arm and trip-arm.

2. In an automatic mail pouch delivering and catching apparatus, adelivery box secured within the car and communicating with an orifice inthe side of said car, an ejecting grate having a lateral motion throughsaid box and the orifice in said car, Z-shaped levers formed with a longleg and a short leg, the short legs of said levers secured to the endsof said ejecting grate, a rocker shaft secured to the ends of the longlegs of said levers and mounted upon the inner side of said car, meansfor rocking said rocker arm and means for automatically operating saidrocking mechanism.

In a mail pouch delivering and catch ing apparatus, a reversible anddetachable catching fork pivotally mounted without the doorway of thecar, and comprising a triangular bar, bez ring bars parallel to saidtriangular bar and integral therewith, a slide block secured upon theshut end of the fork arm and formed with a longitudinal orifice in thebody thereof and a longitudinal slot in the side thereof and adapted toembrace said triangular and said bearing In testimony whereof We a'lfixour signa- I bars, stop-pins extefiding at right angles I tures inpresence of two Witnesses.

from said bearing ars and limiting the T H T engagement of said slideblock, a lever sel figgF cured to said triangular bar at right angles Ik thereto and adapted to be engaged and 0perated by a series ofbell-cranks and rods 1 actuated by automatic apparatus.

Witnesses M. J. COULTER, MABEL L. LEFEVRE.

